Development of a novel chemical cleaning process for membrane-based water treatme

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The objective of this PhD project is to develop efficient and sustainable chemical cleaning agents for membrane-based water treatment. The project will be executed in partnership with Panton McLeod Ltd (PM), a water quality engineering company based in Galashiels. The specific goals are:1) To develop acid-based formulations tailored for removal of foulant layers from polymeric membranes for water and wastewater treatment. We will investigate cleaning of foulants commonly found in water resources in Scotland and Northern England (e.g. fulvic and humic acid-rich natural organic matter, Mn, Fe) 2) To investigate the efficacy of chemical cleaning in membrane materials (e.g. polyamide, PVDF, cellulose acetate) spanning a wide range of membrane applications (e.g. ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis).3) To characterize the effect of regular chemical cleaning on the long term membrane permeability/selectivity and material properties (e.g. permeability, rejection, molecular weight cut-off, hydrophilicity).Fit to EPSRC Strategic Priorities. Due to the current challenges presented in water management and provision, EPSRC has identified Water Engineering research area as a priority area, in which this project fits perfectly. Water is an economically important area to the UK, and EPSRC has a considerable body of funded research in this theme. The current portfolio for Water Engineering comprises 37 grants of total value £47M.